Tag Archives: #risk-on

Fear’s Stranglehold

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All week the poor dollar’s been sold
As traders break fear’s stranglehold
How far can it fall?
The popular call
Is very, though ‘twill be controlled

Once again the dollar is under pressure this morning, although interestingly, we are not seeing equity market strength. Up til now, this week has proven decidedly risk-on with equity markets rallying, commodity prices performing well, and long dollar positions, established during the past months due to fears of impaired liquidity, getting reduced. After all, there is no need to hold a forex position if you can borrow dollars without paying a huge premium. But this morning, there is a bit of a conundrum in the markets as equity prices are falling around the world, but the dollar is continuing its decline.

The popular risk narrative focuses on increasing tensions between the US and China in the wake of China’s recent passage of a law increasing its control over Hong Kong. That simply adds to the general fears that the constant butting of heads between the two nations could escalate to a more significant confrontation. Certainly, this action by the Chinese is not a risk positive, but there is no evidence that funds are rapidly flowing out of Hong Kong because of the situation. This has been made clear by both the exchange rate, where HKD remains right at the top of its band with the dollar and the Hang Seng, which while down 18% YTD, remains well above the lows seen in the global crash in March, and hardly seems in danger of collapse.

Rather, given that it is month end, it appears far more likely that today’s price action in equities is being driven by portfolio rebalancing. After all, asset allocators are now longer equities relative to debt and so will be selling stocks to put themselves back to their target levels. As to the dollar, it too is likely to be feeling the impact of portfolio rebalancing as money continues to flow out of overweight US equity positions to other geographies.

After all, the rate structure has hardly changed at all this month, with yields having remained quite stable in general. For instance, 10-year Treasury yields had an 11 basis point range all month while the havens in Europe saw a similar lack of volatility. Only the PIGS saw their yields trade more dramatically, and for all of them, it was a straight line higher in prices, with yields falling accordingly, in the wake of the EU announcement of steps toward debt mutualization. With this in mind, one can hardly blame relative rate changes for the dollar’s month-long weakness.

On the economic front, the data has been very consistent around the world as well. It is uniformly awful, but it is also beginning its slow rebound from the nadir reached in late March/early April. As Covid-19 spread around the world, different countries have been impacted at different times, but the pattern everywhere is quite similar. In fact, this is the driving market narrative, that economic activity is set to rebound sharply and that as lockdowns around the world are lifted, all will be back to where it was prior to the spread of Covid. And perhaps this will, in fact, be the case. However, the destruction of economic activity combined with the forced changes in working conditions certainly raises the possibility that the rebound will not be nearly as robust as currently anticipated by markets. In other words, do not rule out another repricing of risk. But despite some lingering fears, the general mood in markets remains positive.

Turning to today’s session, as mentioned, we are seeing red across the board in the equity markets with Asia soft (Nikkei -0.2%), Hang Seng (-0.7%), Europe under pressure (DAX -1.0%, CAC -0.8%, FTSE 100 -0.9%) and US futures also declining (DJIA -0.4%, SPX and NASDAQ -0.3%). Also, given the overall lack of volatility seen all month in the bond market, it should be no surprise that Treasury yields are only modestly changed, down 2bps, with German, French and UK yields similarly lower. Meanwhile, oil prices, which have rallied more than 65% this month, are slightly softer today, down 3% and the price of gold, which has had a choppy month, is adding 0.5% to achieve its MTD gain of 1.5%. (As an aside, the gold story is one of great conviction on both sides as the bulls look at the amount of new money in the system without a corresponding increase in production, actually a significant decline there, and wonder how hard assets cannot increase in value. Meanwhile, the bears point to the absence of demand for goods, looking at things like crashing retail sales and rising savings rates, and see deflation on the horizon and no reason to hold anything other than fixed income in this environment.)

As to the dollar, it is almost uniformly lower this morning, with the entire G10 firmer led by Sweden’s krona, up 1.0%, after the country released a surprisingly positive Q1 GDP growth outcome of +0.1%, far better than the anticipated -0.3%, and helping to maintain positive Y/Y growth. That has clearly energized NOK (+0.7%) as well as EUR (+0.5%). But in reality, a great deal of this activity is dollar weakness, rather than specific country strength.

In the EMG bloc, the dollar is under pressure across the space with only the Turkish lira declining on the day, and that by just 0.2%. On the positive side, the CE4 are leading the way with CZK (+0.8%) and HUF (+0.7%) atop the leaderboard. The other noteworthy mover has been IDR (+0.7%) after comments from the central bank governor, Perry Warjiyo, indicated his belief that the rupiah was undervalued and could appreciate somewhat with no problems to the economy.

On the data front, yesterday saw the first decline in Continuing Claims data since the onset of Covid-19, with a surprisingly low print of 21.0M. Initial Claims continue to slide as well, rising ‘only’ 2.1M last week. GDP data were revised slightly lower, to -5.0% annualized for Q1, although there remains a contest to see whose depiction of Q2, with current forecasts between -20% and -50%, will be closest to the mark. This morning we see Personal Income (exp -6.0%), Personal Spending (-12.8%), Core PCE (1.1%), Chicago PMI (40.0) and Michigan Sentiment (74.0). The April income and spending data will be much worse than the previous print, as that encompasses the worst of the shutdown. But the May data is forecast to rebound from its worst levels, consistent with what we are seeing around the world.

As long as fear is in abeyance, I expect that dollar demand will remain more muted than we had seen during the past several months. The big picture story of a more unified Europe with mutual debt, and my ongoing expectations of negative real interest rates in the US points to further dollar weakness over time. This is not going to be a collapse, but rather a steady grind lower.

Good luck, good weekend and stay safe
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Employment Unstressed

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The jobs report Friday impressed
With growth in employment unstressed
As well, Friday’s quotes
From Fed speakers’ throats
Explained how their policy’s best

As is evidenced by the fact that the stock market in the US continues to trade to new all-time highs on a daily basis, the Fed is doing an incredible job…just ask them! Friday we learned that both the economy and monetary policy are “in a good place” according to vice-chairman Richard Clarida. Governor Randall Quarles used the same terms as did NY Fed President John Williams, who added, “…the economy is strong,” as well to the mix. At least they are all singing from the same hymnal. So, following a much better than expected payrolls report Friday morning, with the headline number not only beating expectations handily (128K vs. 85K), but the previous two months’ data were revised higher by a further 95K, the Fed is patting themselves on the back.

Adding to the overall joy in markets is the apparent thaw in the US-China trade talks, where it appears that a small, ‘phase one’ deal is pretty much agreed with both sides simply trying to find a place to sign it now that the APEC conference in Chile has been canceled due to local violent protests. And of course, the other big uncertainty, Brexit, has also, apparently, become less risky as the amended deal agreed by Boris and the EU has put to rest many fears of a hard Brexit. While the UK is currently engaged in a general election campaign cum second Brexit referendum, the smart money says that Boris will win the day, Parliament will sign the deal and the next steps toward Brexit will be taken with no mishaps.

Who knows, maybe all of these views are absolutely correct and global growth is set to rebound substantially driving stocks to ever more new highs and allowing central banks around the world to finally unwind some of their ‘emergency’ measures like ZIRP, NIRP and QE. Or…

It is outside the realm of this morning note to opine on many of these outcomes, but history tells us that everything working out smoothly is an unlikely outcome.

Turning to the market this morning shows us a dollar that is marginally firmer despite a pretty broad risk-on feeling. As mentioned above, equity markets are all strong, with Asia closing higher and almost every European market higher by more than 1.0% as I type. US futures are pointing in the same direction following on Friday’s strong performance. Treasury yields are also higher as there is little need for safety when stock prices are flying, and we are seeing gains in oil and industrial metals as well. All of which begs the question why the dollar is firm. But aside from the South African rand, which has jumped 1.5% this morning after Moody’s retained its investment grade rating on country bonds, although it did cut its outlook to negative, there are more currencies lower vs. the dollar than higher.

One possible explanation is the Fed’s claim that they have ended their mid-cycle adjustment and that US rates are destined to remain higher than those elsewhere in the world going forward. It is also possible that continued weak data elsewhere is simply undermining other currencies. For example, Eurozone final PMI’s were released this morning and continue to show just how weak the manufacturing sector in Europe remains. Given the fact that the ECB is basically out of bullets, and the fact that the Germans and Dutch remain intransigent with respect to the idea of fiscal stimulus, a weak currency is the only feature that is likely to help the ECB achieve its inflation target. However, as we have seen over the past many years, the pass-through of a weak currency to higher inflation is not a straightforward process. While I do think the dollar will continue its slow climb higher, I see no reason for the pace of the move to have any substantive impact on Eurozone CPI.

Meanwhile, the G10 currency under the most pressure today is the pound, which has fallen 0.2%, and while still above 1.29, seems to have lost all its momentum higher as the market tries to assess what will happen at the election six weeks hence. While I continue to believe that Boris will win and that the negotiated deal will be implemented, I have actually taken profits on my personal position given the lack of near-term momentum.

Looking ahead to this week, the data picture is far less exciting than last, although we do have the BOE meeting on Thursday to spice things up, as well as a raft of Fed speakers:

Today Durable Goods -1.1%
  -ex transport -0.3%
  Factory Orders -0.4%
Tuesday Trade Balance -$52.5B
  JOLTS Job Openings 7.088M
  ISM Non-Manufacturing 53.4
Wednesday Nonfarm Productivity 0.9%
  Unit Labor Costs 2.2%
Thursday Initial Claims 215K
  Consumer Credit $15.05B
Friday Michigan Sentiment 95.5

Source: Bloomberg

As all of this data is second tier, it is hard to get too excited over any of it, however, if it demonstrates a pattern, either of weakness or strength, by the end of the week we could see some impact. Meanwhile, there are nine Fed speakers slated this week, but given the consistency of message we heard last week, it seems hard to believe that the message will change at all, whether from the hawks or doves. At this point, I think both sides are happy.

Putting it all together, I would argue that the dollar is more likely to suffer slightly this week rather than strengthen as risk appetite gains. But it is hard to get too excited in either direction for now.

Good luck
Adf

Tempting the Fates

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Around the world most central banks
Have, monthly, been forced to give thanks
That tempting the fates
With negative rates
Has not destroyed euros or francs

And later today we will hear
From Draghi, the man who made clear
“Whatever it takes”
Would fix the mistakes
Investors had grown, most, to fear

With Brexit on the back burner for the day, as the UK awaits the EU’s decision on how long of a delay to grant, the market has turned its attention to the world’s central banks. Generally speaking, monetary ease remains the primary focus, although there are a few banks that are bucking the trend.

Starting with the largest for today, and world’s second most important central bank, the ECB meets today in what is Mario Draghi’s final policy meeting at the helm. Given their actions last month, where they cut the deposit rate a further 10bps to -0.50% and restarted QE to the tune of €20 billion per month, there is no expectation for any change at all. In fact, the only thing to expect is more exhortations from Draghi for increasing fiscal policy stimulus by Germany and other Northern European nations that are not overly indebted. But it will not change anything at this stage, and he has already tied Madame Lagarde’s hands going forward with their most recent guidance, so this will be the farewell tour as everybody regales him for saving the euro back in 2012.

But there have been a number of other moves, the most notable being the Swedish Riksbank, which left rates unchanged, but basically promised to raise them by 25bps in December to return them to 0.00%. Apparently they are tired of negative rates and don’t want them to become habit forming. While I admire that concept, the problem they have is growth there is slowing and inflation is falling well below their target of 2.0%. The most recent reading was 1.5%, but the average going back post the financial crisis is just 1.1%. SEK gained slightly after their comments, rallying 0.15% this morning, but the trend in the krone remains lower and I think they will need to raise a lot more than 25bps to change that.

Meanwhile, other central bank activity saw Norway leave rates unchanged at 1.50% as core inflation there remains above their 2.0% target. NOK’s response was essentially nil. Indonesia cut rates by 25bps, as widely expected, its fourth consecutive rate cut, and although the rupiah is ever so slightly softer this morning, -0.2%, its performance this year has been pretty solid, having gained 2.3% YTD. Finally, the Turkish central bank cut rates by a surprising 250bps this morning, much more than the 100bps expected. If you recall, President Erdogan has been adamant that higher interest rates beget higher inflation, and even fired the previous central bank head to replace him with someone more malleable. Interestingly, a look at Turkish inflation shows that it has been falling despite (because of?) recent rate cuts. And today, despite that huge cut, the initial currency impact was pretty modest, with the lira falling 0.5% immediately, but already recouping some of those losses. And in the broader picture, the lira’s recent trend has clearly been higher and remains so after the cut.

On the data front we saw PMI data from the Eurozone and it simply reinforced the idea that the Eurozone is heading into a recession. Germany’s numbers were worse than expected (Manufacturing 41.9, Composite 48.6) which was enough to drag the Eurozone data down as well (Manufacturing 45.7, Composite 50.2). It seems clear that when Germany reports their Q3 GDP next month it will be negative and Germany will ‘officially’ be in a recession. It is data of this nature that makes it so hard to turn bullish on the single currency. Given their economic travails, the Teutonic austerity mindset, which was enshrined in law, and the fact that the ECB is essentially out of bullets, it is very difficult to have a positive view of the euro in the medium term. This morning, ahead of the ECB policy statement, the euro is little changed, and I see no reason for it to move afterwards either.

So, there was lots of central bank activity, but not so much FX movement in response. My sense is that FX traders are now going to fully turn their attention to the FOMC meeting next week, as even though a rate cut seems assured, the real question is will the Fed call a halt to the mid-cycle adjustment, or will they leave the door open to further rate cuts. The risk with the former is that the equity market sells off sharply, thus tightening financial conditions, sowing fear in Washington and forcing a reversal. However, the risk with the latter is that the Fed loses further credibility, something they have already squandered, by being proven reactive to the markets, and less concerned with the economy writ large.

For today’s session, we have the only real data of the week, Durable Goods (exp -0.7%, -0.2% ex Transport), and Initial Claims (215K) at 8:30, then New Home Sales (702K) at 10:00. We also see the US PMI data (Manufacturing 50.9, Services 51.0) although the market generally doesn’t pay much attention to this. Instead it focuses on the ISM data which won’t be released until next week.

Without any Fed speakers on the docket, once again the FX market is likely to take its cues from equities, which are broadly higher this morning after a number of better than expected earnings announcements. In this risk-on environment, I think the dollar has room to edge lower, but unless we start to see the US data really deteriorate, I have a feeling the Fed is going to try to end the rate cuts and the dollar will benefit going forward. Just not today.

Good luck
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Make Boris Bend

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As Parliament seeks to extend
The timeline, and make Boris bend
The market’s decided
The deal he provided
Will ultimately pass in the end

Well, Brexit is still the number one topic in markets, although after a quiet Friday on the trade front, we got more discussion there as well. As to Brexit, Boris lost his fight to get a clean vote on the newly renegotiated deal on Saturday. Instead, Parliament voted to force a request for an extension, which at this moment the EU is considering. Interestingly, in the EU there are a number of countries that seem ready to be done with the process and no longer care if the UK exits. However, as sweet as that would be for the Brexiteers, in the end that would require courage by the country(ies) who voted no. And courage is something in short supply at the top of European (and most) governments. At any rate, given the speed with which this story changes, this morning the word is that Johnson has found the votes necessary to get his deal through Parliament, but it means that he has to get another vote. The roadblock there is in the form of John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, who has proven himself to be a virulent Bremainer, and wants nothing more than to see Boris fail.

With that as background, one might have thought the pound would have suffered, but the market has looked through all the permutations and decided that a deal is forthcoming in the near-term, or perhaps more accurately, that the odds of a no-deal Brexit have been significantly reduced. This is evident in the fact that as I type, the pound is essentially unchanged since Friday’s optimistic close at 1.2980, and has traded above 1.30 earlier in the session for the first time since May (the month, not the former PM).

However, I think the euro’s performance has been far more interesting lately. Consider that despite an ongoing run of generally awful data, showing neither growth nor inflationary impulse, the single currency continues to climb slowly. A part of this is likely a result of what has been mild dollar weakness amid increasing risk appetite. But I think that the market has also begun to recognize that a Brexit deal will remove uncertainty on the continent and the euro will benefit accordingly. From the time of the referendum in 2016 I have made it clear that Brexit was not just a British pound story, but a euro one as well. And this slow appreciation (EUR is higher by 2.7% this month, about 0.7% more than the dollar index) is a belated reaction to the fact that a Brexit deal is a benefit there as well. At any rate, much of this story is yet to be written, and a successful outcome will almost certainly result in further GBP outperformance, but the euro is likely to continue this grind higher as well.

On the trade front, comments from Chinese vice-premier Liu He explaining China would work with the US to address each other’s core concerns and that ending the trade war would be good for everyone were seen as quite positive by equity and other risk markets. In fact, the combination of optimism on the two big issues of the day, trade and Brexit has led to a clear, if modest, risk-on session. Equity markets in Asia performed well (Nikkei +0.25%, CSI 300 +0.3%), and we are seeing modest gains throughout Europe as well (DAX +0.7%, CAC +0.15%). It is certainly a positive that the trade dialog continues, but I fear we remain a very long way from a broad deal.

Another weekend event was the World Bank / IMF meetings in Washington with the commentary exactly what you would expect. Namely, everyone derided the trade war and explained it would be better if it ended. Everyone derided Brexit and said it would be better if it didn’t happen. And everyone explained that it’s time for fiscal policy to step up to the plate to help central banks. What has become very clear is that central banks are truly running out of room to help support their respective economies but it is impolitic to say so. This results in exhortations for fiscal policy pushes by those who can afford it. However, Germany remains resolute in their belief that there is no reason to implement a supplementary budget of any kind and that continuing to run a budget surplus is the best thing for the nation. Look for pressure to continue to build, but unless growth really starts to crater there, I don’t expect them to change their views, or policies.

A look around the rest of the FX market shows that the biggest gainer this weekend was KRW, rising 0.8% on optimism that a trade deal between the US and China was closer. Certainly it was not the terrible data from South Korea that helped the won rally, as exports in October have fallen nearly 20%, making eleven consecutive monthly declines in that statistic. Otherwise, the mild risk-on atmosphere has helped most EMG currencies edge higher. On the G10 front, NOK is the big winner, rising 0.55%, although that simply looks like a reaction to its sharp declines over the past two weeks.

On the data front it is extremely quiet this week as follows:

Tuesday Existing Home Sales 5.45M
Thursday Initial Claims 215K
  Durable Goods -0.7%
  -ex Transport -0.3%
  New Home Sales 701K
Friday Michigan Sentiment 96.0

Source: Bloomberg

Arguably, Durable Goods is the most interesting number of the bunch. And after a two-week deluge of Fed speakers, they have gone into their quiet period ahead of next Wednesday’s meeting. The final comments by Kaplan and Clarida were similar to the previous comments we heard, namely that the economy is in a “good place” and that they are essentially going to play it by ear on the next rate decision. As of this morning, the market is still pricing in an 89.5% probability of a rate cut.

Speaking of low rates, Signor Draghi presides over his last ECB meeting this week and while there are no new policies expected, it is universally anticipated that he will renew his call for fiscal stimulus to help the Eurozone economic outlook. Quite frankly, I think it is abundantly clear that the ECB has completely run out of ammunition to fight any further weakness, and that Madame Lagarde, when she takes the seat on November 1, will feel more like Old Mother Hubbard than anything else.

For the day, I see no reason for the risk-on attitude to change, and if anything, I imagine we can see more positive news from the UK which will only help drive things further in that direction. While in the end, I still see the dollar performing well, for now, it is on its back foot and likely to stay there for a little while longer.

Good luck
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Time’s Crunch

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When Boris and Leo had lunch
No panties were balled in a bunch
The signals showed promise
And no doubting Thomas
Appeared, as both sides felt time’s crunch

Meanwhile, though there’s been no bombshell
The trade talks have gone “very well”
Today Trump meets He
And then we will see
If a deal betwixt sides can now gel

And finally from the Mideast
The story ‘bout risk has increased
A tanker attack
Had market blowback
With crude a buck higher at least

There is no shortage of important stories today so let’s jump right in. Starting with Brexit, yesterday’s lunch meeting between Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar, the Irish PM, turned into something pretty good. While the comments have been very general, even EU president Donald Tusk as said there were “promising signals.” It is crunch time with the deadline now less than three weeks away. Apparently, the rest of the EU is beginning to believe that Boris will walk with no deal, despite the Benn Act requiring him to ask for an extension if there is no deal in place. At the same time, everybody is tired of this process and the EU has many other problems, notably a declining economy, to address. And so, I remain confident that we will soon hear, probably early next week, about a ‘deal in principle’ which will be ratified by Parliament as well as the EU. Though all the details will not have been completed, there will be enough assurances on both sides to get it through. Remember, Boris has Parliament on his side based on the deal he showed them. I’m pretty sure that his conversation with Leo yesterday used that as the starting point.

When that news hit the tape yesterday morning a little past 10:00, the pound started a significant rally, ultimately gaining 2% yesterday and it is higher by a further 1.0% this morning after more promising comments from both sides of the table. Remember, too, that the market remains extremely short pound Sterling and has been so for quite a while. If I am correct, then we could see the pound well above 1.30 as early as next week. Of course, if it does fall apart, then a quick trip back to 1.20 is on the cards. As I have said, my money is on a deal. One other thing to note here is what happened in the FX options market. For most of the past twelve years, the risk reversal (the price the market pays for 25 delta puts vs. 25 delta calls) has traded with puts at a premium. In fact earlier this year, the 1mo version was trading at a 2.5 vol premium for puts. Well, yesterday, the risk reversal flipped positive (bid for calls) and is now bid more than 1.0 vol for GBP calls. This is a huge move in this segment of the market, and also seen as quite an indicator that expectations for further pound strength abound.

Regarding the trade talks, risk assets have taken a very positive view of the comments that have come from both sides, notably President Trump describing things as going “very well” and agreeing to meet with Chinese Vice-premier Liu He this afternoon before he (He) returns to Beijing. The information that has come out points to the following aspects of a deal; a currency pact to insure the Chinese do not weaken the renminbi for competitive advantage; increased Chinese purchases of grains and pork; a US promise not to increase tariffs going forward as the broader negotiations continue; and the lifting of more sanctions on Chinese companies like Huawei and COSCO, the Chinese shipping behemoth. Clearly, all of that is positive and it is no surprise that equity markets globally have responded with solid gains. It is also no surprise that Treasury and Bund yields are much higher this morning than their respective levels ahead of the talks. In fact, Treasuries, which are just 1bp higher this morning, are up by more than 15bps since Tuesday. For Bunds, today’s price action shows no change in yields, but a 12bp move (less negative rates) since then. The idea is a trade deal helps global economic growth pick back up and quashes talk of deflation.

The last big story of the morning comes from the Persian Gulf, where an Iranian oil tanker, carrying about 1 million barrels of oil, was attacked by missiles near the Saudi port of Jeddah. At first the Iranians blamed the Saudis, but they have since retracted that statement. It should be no surprise that oil prices jumped on the news, with WTI futures quickly rallying more than a dollar and maintaining those gains since then. One of the key depressants of oil prices has been the global economic malaise, which does not yet look like it is over. However, if the trade truce is signed and positive vibes continue to come from that area, I expect that oil prices will benefit greatly as well.

As to the FX market per se, the dollar is overall under pressure. Of course, the pound has been the biggest mover in the G10 space, but AUD has gained 0.55% and the rest of the block is higher by roughly 0.3%. The only exceptions here are the yen (-0.3%) and Swiss franc (-0.1%) as haven assets are unloaded.

Turning to the EMG bloc, ZAR is today’s big winner, rallying more than 1.1% on two features; first the general euphoria on trade discussed above and second on the news that former President Jacob Zuma must face corruption charges. The latter is important because it demonstrates that the rule of law may be coming back into favor there, always a benefit for an emerging market. But most of the space is firmer this morning, with many currencies higher by between 0.5% and 0.6% (RUB, KRW, PLN, HUF, MXN, etc.) In fact, the only loser this morning is TRY (-0.4%), which remains under pressure as President Erdogan presses his military campaign against the Kurds in Syria.

On the data front, the only US news is Michigan Sentiment (exp 92.0) but we also get the Canadian employment picture (exp 7500 new jobs and a 5.7% Unemployment Rate). Three more Fed speakers, Kashkari, Rosengren and Kaplan, are on the slate, but so far, the only clarity of message we have received this week is that everybody is watching the data and will respond as they see fit. Hawks are still hawks and doves are still doves.

I see no reason for the dollar to regain ground today assuming the good news from Trade and Brexit continue. So look for a further decline into the holiday weekend.

Good luck and good weekend
Adf

PS. While typing, the pound jumped another 1.0%.

No Longer Afraid

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This morning twixt Brexit and trade
The market’s no longer afraid
More talks are now set
Though there’s no deal yet
And Parliament’s built a blockade

Yesterday saw a risk grab after the situation in Hong Kong moved toward a positive outcome. This morning has seen a continuation of that risk rally after two more key stories moved away from the abyss. First, both the US and China have confirmed that trade talks will resume in the coming weeks, expected sometime in early October, when Vice-premier Liu He and his team visit Washington. While the current tariff schedules remain in place, and there is no certainty that either side will compromise on the outstanding issues, it is certainly better that the talks continue than that all the news is in the form of dueling tweets.

It should be no surprise that Asian equity markets rallied on the news, (Nikkei +2.1%, Shanghai +1.0%), nor that European markets are following in their footsteps (DAX +0.85%, CAC +0.9%). It should also not be surprising that Treasury yields are higher (+5bps) as are Bund yields (+5bps); that the yen and dollar have suffered (JPY -0.2%, DXY -0.25%) and that gold prices are lower (-0.7%).

Of course, the other big story is Brexit, where yesterday PM Boris Johnson suffered twin defeats in his strategy of ending the mess once and for all. Parliament passed a bill that prevents the government from leaving the EU without a deal and requires the PM to ask for a delay if no deal is agreed by mid-October. Then in a follow-up vote, they rejected the call for a snap election as Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn would not support the opportunity to become PM himself. While Boris plots his next move, the market is reducing the probability of a hard Brexit in the pound’s price thus it has rallied further this morning, +0.7%, and is now higher by more than 2% since Tuesday morning.

However, while the news on both fronts is positive right now, remember nothing is concluded and both stories are subject to reversal at any time. In other words, hedgers must remain vigilant.

Turning to the rest of the market, there have been two central bank surprises in the past twenty-four hours, both of which were more hawkish than expected. First, the Bank of Canada yesterday left rates on hold despite the market having priced in a 25bp rate cut. They pointed to still solid growth and inflation near their target levels as reason enough to dissent from the market viewpoint. The market response was an immediate 0.5% rise in the Loonie with a much slower pace of ascent since then. However, all told, CAD is stronger by a bit over 1.1% since before the meeting. If you recall, analysts were less convinced than the market that a cut was coming, but they still have one penciled in by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the market is now 50/50 they will cut in October and about 65% certain it will happen by December.

The other hawkish surprise came from Stockholm this morning, where the Riksbank left rates on hold, as expected, but reiterated their view that a hike was still appropriate this year and that they expected to get rates back to positive before too long (currently the rate is -0.25%). While analysts don’t believe they will be able to follow through on this commitment, the FX market responded immediately and SEK is today’s top performer in the G10 space, rallying 0.9%.

The only data we have seen today was a much weaker than expected Factory Orders print from Germany (-2.7%), simply reinforcing the fact that the country is heading into a recession. That said, general dollar weakness on the risk grab has the euro higher by 0.25% as I type.

In the EMG space, we continue to see traders and investors piling into positions in their ongoing hunt for yield now that overall risk sentiment has improved. In the past two sessions we have seen LATAM, in particular, outperform with BRL higher by 1.8%, MXN up 1.65% and COP up 1.35%. But it is not just LATAM, ZAR is higher by 2.0% in that time frame, and KRW is up 1.3%. In fact, if you remove ARS from the equation (which obviously has its own major problems), every other EMG currency is higher since Tuesday’s close.

On the data front, yesterday’s US Trade deficit was a touch worse than expected at -$54.0B, but still an improvement on June’s data. This morning we see a number of things including ADP Employment (exp 148K), Initial Claims (215K), Nonfarm Productivity (2.2%), Unit Labor Costs (2.4%), Durable Goods orders (2.1%, -0.4% ex transport) and finally ISM Non-manufacturing (54.0). So there’s plenty of updated information to help ascertain just how the US economy is handling the stresses of the trade war and the global slowdown. As to Fed speak, there is nobody scheduled for today although we heard from several FOMC members yesterday with a range of views; from uber-dove Bullard’s call for a 50bp cut, to Dallas’s Kaplan discussing all the reasons that a cut is not necessary right now.

Despite the data dump today, I think all eyes will be on tomorrow where we not only get the payroll report, but Chairman Powell speaks at lunchtime. As such, there is no reason, barring a White House tweet, for the current risk on view to change and so I expect the dollar will continue to soften right up until tomorrow’s data. Then it will depend on that outcome.

Good luck
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The Fun’s Just Begun

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In Hong Kong, the protestors won
In England, the fun’s just begun
But as of today
Bremain’s holding sway
And risk has begun a new run

As New York walks in this morning, there have been significant changes in several of the stories driving recent price action with the upshot being that risk is clearly in favor today. Things started in Hong Kong, where Carrie Lam, the territory’s Chief Executive, formally withdrew the extradition bill that had prompted three months of increasingly violent protests there. The quick back story is that this bill was presented in June as a response to a situation where a man accused of murder in Taiwan could not be returned there for trial due to the lack of formal extradition mechanisms in the existing legal framework. However, the bill they crafted was quite open-ended and would have allowed for extradition to the mainland for minor infractions, a situation seen as fraught with danger for Hong Kong’s shrinking independence. That is what begat the protests, and although they have grown in scope as well as size, it is seen as a significant first step to restoring order. It is hard to believe that Beijing is happy with this outcome as they were strong supporters of the bill, but thus far, they have made no comment.

As it happens, financial markets saw this as a significant change in the tone for the future and there was a massive equity rally in HK, while risk assets generally performed well at the expense of haven assets. So the Hang Seng rose nearly 4.0% with other APAC stock markets also gaining, albeit not to the same extent. European markets are also on the move this morning, with gains ranging from the FTSE 100’s +0.4% to the FTSE MIB (Italy) up 1.65%. And don’t worry, US equity futures are all pointing higher as well, on the order of 0.75%. Meanwhile, Treasuries have sold off modestly, with the 10-year yield higher by 3bps, Bunds have fallen further, with yields there up by 6bps, and the yen has bucked the trend in currencies, falling 0.25% amid a broad dollar decline. Finally, gold is lower by 0.65%, although remains near the top of its recent trading activity.

The other story that has seen significant changes comes from London, where PM Boris Johnson has not only lost a vote regarding his ability to deliver Brexit, but also has lost his slim majority in parliament after a single member defected to the LibDems. Subsequent to that, there was a vote on a bill brought to the floor to prevent the PM from forcing a no-deal Brexit, one which Boris opposed but passed 328-301 with 21 Tories voting against the PM. Johnson summarily fired those rebels from the party and now leads a minority government. His current tactic is to push for a snap election on October 14 or 15 so that a new government will be available to speak to the EU at a formal meeting on October 18. However, he needs two-thirds of all members of parliament to vote for that, meaning he needs the Labour party to agree. If you are confused by this back and forth, don’t feel too badly, I think pretty much everyone is, and there is certainly no clarity as to what will come next.

With that convoluted process in mind, from a markets perspective the result is clear, the probability of a no-deal Brexit has receded for the moment and the pound has been the biggest beneficiary, rallying 0.9% this morning and is now more than two cents above yesterday’s depths. While this move certainly makes sense given the current understanding of the situation, it is by no means the end of the story. If anything, it is the end of chapter one. Later today we should know if there is going to be another election and then it will take a little time before the market understands the odds of those outcomes. Remember, if there is an election and Jeremy Corbyn is seen with a chance to win, it will not be a positive for the pound or the UK economy either. For now, the market is focused on a somewhat lower probability of a hard Brexit and the pound is benefitting accordingly. However, I don’t think the binary nature of the problem has disappeared, simply been masked temporarily. For hedgers, implied volatility has fallen sharply on the back of this news and the ensuing move, but I would argue uncertainty remains quite high. Options still make a lot of sense here.

Past those two stories, there is no further news on the trade front, although that will certainly become the topic du jour again soon. In the meantime, recent data has continued to paint a mixed picture at best for the G10 economies. For example, yesterday’s ISM data printed at 49.1, well below expectations and the worst print since January 2016. While one print below 50.0 does not indicate a recession is upon us, it is certainly a harbinger of slower growth in the future. Then this morning we saw Service PMI’s from Europe with Italy’s much weaker than expected while France, Germany and the Eurozone as a whole printed at expectations. However, expectations still point to slowing growth, especially in combination with the manufacturing surveys which are mostly sub 50.0. In the UK, the PMI was also weak, 50.6, and there is talk that Q3 is going to result in modest negative GDP performance causing a technical recession in the UK joining Germany and Italy in that regard. In the end, while the trade war may be negatively impacting both the US and China, it is also clearly having a big impact throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

As to the rest of the FX market, the risk on behavior has led to broad based dollar weakness, with the euro rebounding 0.35%, Aussie and Kiwi up similar amounts and the Skandies rallying even further, +0.7%. Canada is a bit of an outlier here as oil prices have been under pressure lately, although have bounced 1.0% this morning, but more importantly, the BOC meets with great uncertainty as to whether they will cut rates or not. Markets are pricing in a 92% chance they will do so, but the analyst community is split about 50/50 on the prospects for a cut today. That said, those same analysts are looking for cuts later this year, so this seems more about timing than the ultimate result.

In the EMG bloc ZAR has had another winning day, rising 1.4% as international bond buyers continue to aggressively buy South African paper after the country averted a recession. But broadly, the dollar is lower against virtually all EMG currencies due to risk-on sentiment.

On the data front, this morning brings the Trade Balance (exp -$53.4B) a modest decline from last month’s outcome, and then the Beige Book comes at 2:00 but that’s all. We will hear from a plethora of Fed speakers today, five in all, ranging from uber doves Kashkari and Bullard to moderate Robert Kaplan from Dallas. Yesterday, Bullard in another speech said the Fed should cut 50bps at the upcoming meeting while Boston’s Rosengren said there didn’t seem to be the need to do anything right now. A full cut plus some is still priced in at this point.

In the end, broad risk sentiment is today’s driver. As long as that remains positive, look for the dollar to remain under pressure.

Good luck
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Demand, More, to Whet

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In Asia three central banks met
And all three explained that the threat
Of trade tensions rising
Required revising
Their pathway, demand, more, to whet

The RBNZ cut rates 50bps last night, surprising markets and analysts, all of whom were expecting a 25bp rate cut. The rationale was weakening global growth and increased uncertainty over the escalation of the trade fight between the US and China were sufficient cause to attempt to get ahead of the problem. They seem to be following NY Fed President Williams’ dictum that when rates are low, cutting rates aggressively is the best central bank policy. It should be no surprise that the NZD fell sharply on the news, and this morning it is lower by 1.4% and back to levels not seen since the beginning of 2016.

The Bank of Thailand cut rates 25bps last night, surprising markets and analysts, none of whom were expecting any rate cut at all. The rationale was … (see bold type above). The initial FX move was for a 0.9% decline in THB, although it has since recouped two-thirds of those losses and currently sits just 0.3% lower than yesterday’s close. THB has been the best performing currency in Asia this year as the Thai economy has done a remarkable job of skating past many of the trade related problems affecting other nations there. However, the central bank indicated it would respond as necessary going forward, implying more rate cuts could come if deemed appropriate.

The RBI cut rates 35bps last night, surprising markets and analysts, most of whom were expecting a 25bp rate cut. The rationale was… (see bold type above). The accompanying policy statement was clearly dovish and indicted that future rate cuts are on the table if the economic path does not improve. However, this morning INR is actually stronger by 0.3% as there was a whiff of ‘buy the rumor, sell the news’ attached to this move. The rupee had already weakened 3% this week, so clearly market anticipation, if not analysts’ views, was for an even more dovish outcome.

These are not the last interest rate moves we are going to see, and we are going to see them from a widening group of central banks. You can be sure, given last night’s activity, that the Philippine central bank is going to be cutting rates when they meet this evening and now the question is, will they cut only the 25bps analysts are currently expecting, or will they take their cues from last night’s activity and cut 50bps to get ahead of the curve? Last night the peso fell 0.4% and is down 2.5% in the past week. It feels to me like the market is pricing in a bigger cut than 25bps. We shall see.

This central bank activity seems contra to the fact that equity markets are stabilizing quickly from Monday’s sell-off. The idea that because the PBOC didn’t allow another sharp move lower last night in the renminbi is an indication that there is no prospect for further weakness in the currency is ridiculous. (After all, CNY did fall 0.4% overnight). The global rate cutting cycle is starting to pick up steam, and as more central banks respond, it will force the others to do the same. The market has now priced in a 100% probability of a 25bp Fed cut at the September meeting. Comments from Fed members Daly and Bullard were explicit that the increased trade tensions have thrown a spanner into their models and that some preemption may be warranted.

A quick survey of government bond yields shows that Treasuries are down 4bps to 1.66%, new lows for the move; Bunds are down 5.5bps to -0.59% and a new historic low; while JGB’s are down 3bps to -0.21%, below the BOJ’s target of -0.2% / +0.2% for the first time since they instituted their yield curve control process. Bond investors and stock investors seem to have very different views of the world right now, but there are more markets aligning with bonds than stocks.

For instance, gold prices are up another 1% overnight, to $1500/oz, their highest in six years and show no sign of slowing down. Oil prices are down just 0.2% overnight, but more than 8% in the past week, as demand indicators decline more than offsetting production declines.

And of course, economic data continues to demonstrate the ongoing economic malaise globally. Early this morning, June German IP fell 1.5%, much worse than expected and from a downwardly revised May number, indicating even further weakness. It is becoming abundantly clear that the Eurozone is heading into a recession and that the ECB is going to be forced into aggressive action next month. Not only do I expect a 20bp rate cut, down to -0.60%, but I expect that QE is going to be restarted right away and expanded to include a larger portion of corporate bonds. And don’t rule out equities!

So, for now we are seeing simultaneous risk-on (equity rally) and risk-off (bond, gold, yen rallies) on our screens. The equity investor belief in the benefits of lower interest rates is quite strong, although I believe we are reaching a point where lower rates are not the solution to the problem. The problem is economic uncertainty due to changes in international trade relations, it is not a lack of access to capital. But lowering rates is all the central banks can do.

Overall, the dollar is stronger this morning as only a handful of currencies, notably the yen as a haven and INR as described above, have managed to gain ground. I expect that this will continue to be the pattern unless the Fed does something truly surprising like a 50bp cut in September or even more unlikely, a surprise inter-meeting cut. They have done that before, but it doesn’t seem to be in Chairman Powell’s wheelhouse.

The only data today is Consumer Credit this afternoon (exp $16.0B) and we hear from Chicago Fed President Charles Evans, a known dove later today. But equity futures are pointing higher and for now, the idea that Monday’s sharp decline was an opportunity rather than a harbinger of the future remains front and center. However, despite the equity market, I have a feeling the dollar is likely to maintain its overnight gains and perhaps extend them as well.

Good luck
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Rate Hikes to Condone

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Today’s UK data has shown
The pace of price rises has grown
Surprising most folks
And likely to coax
Mark Carney, rate hikes to condone

The British pound is outperforming today, currently up 0.35%, as the market responds to a higher than expected inflation reading released this morning. CPI printed at 2.7%, well above the 2.4% consensus view and perhaps signaling that UK inflation, after a summer reprieve, is set to return to its post-Brexit peak of 3.1%. This has traders increasing their estimates of rate activity by the BOE, starting to price in tighter policy despite the ongoing uncertainty created by Brexit. As such, it should not be too surprising that the pound is firmer.

But the pound is by no means alone in its performance characteristics this morning, with the dollar weaker against virtually all comers. In fact, only two of the G10 bloc has suffered today, CHF (-0.45%) and JPY (-0.1%), the two haven currencies. The implication is that risk-taking is back. Certainly equity markets have been holding up their end of that bargain, with US markets strong performance yesterday feeding into strength throughout most of APAC last night led by Shanghai’s 1.1% gains and the Nikkei’s 1.0% rally. European shares, however, have seen a less positive reaction, as they are up at the margin, but only a few basis points, with some markets, notably Italy, actually suffering. (Italy, however, is feeling the effects of the imminent budget deadline with no cogent plan in place and significant differences between the government’s election promises and the fiscal restraint imposed by the EU.) But the other haven asset of note, US Treasuries, has also sold off, with the 10-year yield now trading at 3.05%, its highest level since late May. All told, despite the ongoing trade tensions, it seems that market participants are increasingly comfortable adding to their risk profiles.

More proof of this concept comes from the huge leveraged debt financing completed yesterday by Blackstone Group, where they borrowed $13.5 billion to purchase 55% of a Thompson-Reuters data company called Refinitiv (who comes up with these names?) At any rate, despite ratings of B- by S&P and Caa2 by Moody’s, and a leverage ratio of between 7x and 8x of EBITDA, the deal was massively oversubscribed with yields printing at, for example, 8.25% for 8-year unsecured notes, down from an initial expectation of 9.00%. High leverage, covenant lite debt is all the rage again. What could possibly go wrong?

But I digress. Back in the currency world, the dollar’s weakness has manifested itself in the EMG bloc as well as G10. For example, despite a softer than expected inflation reading from South Africa, where the headline fell to 4.9% while core fell to 4.2%, the rand is firmer by 1.8% this morning. The story here is confusing as some pundits believe that the central bank may be forced to raise rates in order to help protect the rand, which despite today’s rally is still lower by 10% this year. We have seen this type of behavior from Russia, India and Indonesia, three nations where domestic concerns have been outweighed by their currency’s weakness. However, there is a large contingent that believe the SARB will stay on the sidelines as they seek to encourage growth ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for the middle of next year.

It is not just the rand, however, that is showing strength today, but a broad spectrum of EMG currencies. These include MXN (+0.35%), INR (+0.45%), TRY (+1.5%), RUB (+0.5%) and HUF (+0.25%); as wide a cross-section as we are likely to see. In other words, this has much more to do with broad trends than specific data or stories. And with that in mind, it is hard to fight the tape.

It has become increasingly clear that most markets have made peace with the idea that the trade situation is not going to improve in the short run. Next week the US will impose 10% tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports and the administration is already preparing its list for an additional $267 billion of goods to be taxed. No economist believes that this will enhance the pace of growth; rather the universal assumption is that global growth will slow amid this process. And yet investors and traders have simply decided to ignore this outcome, with a large contingent explicitly declaring that they believe these are simply negotiating tactics and that there will be no long-term impact. While I hope they are correct, I fear this is not the case, and that instead, we are going to see this process carry on for an extended period of time, driving up prices and inflation and forcing the Fed to tighten policy more than currently priced by markets. If I am correct, then the likelihood of a significant repricing of risk is quite large. But again, that is only if I am correct.

As to today’s session, we see our first real data of the week with Housing Starts (exp 1.23M) and Building Permits (1.31M) as well as the reading on the Current Account (-$103.5B). But with risk-on today’s theme, these data would have to be drastically weak, sub 1.0M, to have an impact. Instead, it appears that the dollar will remain under pressure today, and perhaps through the rest of the week into next as the market awaits the Fed rate hike next week, and more importantly the statement describing their future views. Until then, this seems to be the theme.

Good luck
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